Freewheelin' Woman | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 15, 2022 | |||
Studio | Ruby Red Studios (Santa Monica, California) | |||
Length | 44:53 | |||
Label | Words Matter Media | |||
Producer | ||||
Jewel chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Freewheelin' Woman | ||||
|
Freewheelin' Woman is the thirteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Jewel, released on April 15, 2022, via her own label, Words Matter Media. It is Jewel's first album in seven years, following 2015's Picking Up the Pieces . [1] The album was co-produced by Jewel and Butch Walker and was developed with the intention for Jewel to create music that she felt connected to and excited about rather than creating in order to meet expectations. [2] Lyrically, the album touches on themes of independence, hope, womanhood, and heartbreak.
Jewel recorded the album live with a band and was partly inspired by famous R&B and soul records made in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with the artist stating, "I cut my teeth on singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Dusty Springfield, and Sarah Vaughan and got into those Muscle Shoals records a little later on, and for some reason that's where my voice and my writing wanted to go on this album". [3] [ non-primary source needed ]
Regarding the musical diversity, Jewel explained that "the record is definitely showing influences I haven't been able to pay homage to before" and added, "I always have thousands of songs in my back catalog, and so I was always able to just instantly have at least ten songs that I was going to use for a record in any genre" but that "It's the first time I ever challenged myself to write a record from scratch. I wanted it to be exactly who and where I was now". When discussing the gap between Picking Up the Pieces and Freewheelin' Woman, Jewel confessed that "I've always taken a lot of years between records when I feel like I need time to psychologically adjust or to creatively reload. I think writing, for me, evolves and changes. I have to have a lot of input. I like to read a lot. I like to experience a lot so I have new things to write about". [4]
In November 2019, Jewel released "No More Tears", her first new song in four years, for the soundtrack to Lost in America , a documentary by American filmmaker Rotimi Rainwater about youth homelessness, of which Jewel was an executive producer. Speaking to American Songwriter , she stated that she was inspired to write the track because she was moved by the stories of the individuals featured in the film and related those to her own experiences of being homeless when she was eighteen. In the same interview, it was confirmed that "No More Tears" would also be the first track from her upcoming album, which she hoped to release sometime in 2020. [5] [6] A re-recorded version of the track, featuring country singer Darius Rucker, is included on Freewheelin' Woman.
"Grateful", the second single from the then as-yet untitled album, was released in April 2020. In an interview with Rolling Stone , Jewel expressed that the song was written about her experiences with anxiety and the crucial role that perception plays in processing your emotions, explaining that, "I learned that if I was headed into a panic attack, I could hack my way into a dilated state by focusing very hard on a different feeling. I chose gratitude. It's amazing how profound such a single thing can be if you feel it deeply enough. It's a practice I still use today. I'm pleased to release this new song inspired by the transformative capability of a simple feeling". [7]
On February 23, 2022, Jewel officially announced that her new album, titled Freewheelin' Woman, would be released on April 15. Alongside this announcement, she previewed the album's lead single, "Dancing Slow", which features American rock band Train, whom she would be supporting on their AM Gold Tour between June and August 2022. [8] In a statement about the track, Jewel explained that "Dancing Slow" is "ultimately about the ebb and flow of life and cherishing those moments of certainty that are shared when you're with a trusted companion. It feels like time slows down for a moment. I'm so glad Train was able to join me on this track, with Pat Monahan's sweet vocals adding another layer to the melody". [9]
The final pre-release track from the album, "Long Way 'Round", was shared in March 2022, with Jewel describing it as "a song about overcoming something difficult, even if it requires getting lost or taking the longer way around. I'm celebrating some of the things I've overcome as well as the choices I've made that have brought me to where I am today. The heart and mind are powerful muscles that are always willing to adapt and grow when you let them". [10] [ non-primary source needed ]
All lyrics are written by Jewel Kilcher
No. | Title | Music | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Long Way 'Round" |
| 4:05 |
2. | "Dancing Slow" (featuring Train) |
| 3:20 |
3. | "Alibis" |
| 2:54 |
4. | "Grateful" |
| 4:17 |
5. | "Half Life" | Kilcher | 3:56 |
6. | "Almost" | Kilcher | 4:17 |
7. | "Dance Sing Laugh Love" |
| 3:23 |
8. | "Living with Your Memory" |
| 3:14 |
9. | "No More Tears" (featuring Darius Rucker) |
| 3:34 |
10. | "When You Loved Me" | Kilcher | 4:00 |
11. | "Love Wins" | Kilcher | 3:42 |
12. | "Nothing But Love" | Kilcher | 4:11 |
Total length: | 44:53 |
Production
Chart (2022) | Peak position |
---|---|
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [11] | 72 |
US Top Current Album Sales (Billboard) [12] | 89 |
Jewel Kilcher, mononymously known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and humanitarian activist. She has been nominated for four Grammy Awards and has sold over 30 million albums worldwide as of 2024.
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is the second studio album by the American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on May 27, 1963, by Columbia Records. Whereas his self-titled debut album Bob Dylan had contained only two original songs, this album represented the beginning of Dylan's writing contemporary lyrics to traditional melodies. Eleven of the thirteen songs on the album are Dylan's original compositions. It opens with "Blowin' in the Wind", which became an anthem of the 1960s, and an international hit for folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary soon after the release of the album. The album featured several other songs which came to be regarded as among Dylan's best compositions and classics of the 1960s folk scene: "Girl from the North Country", "Masters of War", "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right".
Hour Glass was an American soul band based in Los Angeles, California in 1967 and 1968. Among their members were two future members of the Allman Brothers Band and three future studio musicians at the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.
Slow Train Coming is the nineteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on August 20, 1979, by Columbia Records. It was Dylan's first album following his conversion to Christianity, and the songs either express personal faith, or stress the importance of Christian teachings and philosophy. The evangelical nature of the record alienated many of Dylan's existing fans; at the same time, many Christians were drawn into his fan base. Slow Train Coming was listed at No. 16 in the 2001 book CCM Presents: The 100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music.
June Deniece Williams is an American singer. She has been described as "one of the great soul voices" by the BBC. She is best known for the songs "Free", "Silly", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" and two Billboard Hot 100 No.1 singles "Let's Hear It for the Boy" and "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late". Williams has won four Grammys with twelve nominations altogether. She is also known for recording “Without Us”, the theme song of Family Ties.
Pauline Matthews better known by her stage name Kiki Dee, is an English pop singer. Known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, she was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown's Tamla Records.
Ciara Princess Wilson is an American singer, songwriter, businesswoman, dancer, model, and actress. She rose to prominence with her debut studio album, Goodies (2004) and its lead single of the same name, which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Follow-up singles from the album included "1, 2 Step" and "Oh", both of which peaked at number two on the former chart. The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and received two nominations at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. Ciara also guest featured on the 2005 singles "Lose Control" by Missy Elliott and "Like You" by Bow Wow, both of which peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
Jennifer Vashti Bunyan is an English singer-songwriter. She began her career in the mid-1960s and released a debut album, Just Another Diamond Day, in 1970. The album sold very few copies and Bunyan, discouraged, abandoned her musical career. By 2000, her album had acquired a cult following; it was re-released and Bunyan recorded more songs, initiating the second phase of her musical career after a gap of thirty years. She released two more albums, Lookaftering in 2005, and Heartleap in 2014.
Bradley Glenn "Butch" Walker is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the glam metal band SouthGang from the late 1980s to early 1990s and the lead vocalist and guitarist for rock band Marvelous 3 from 1997 until 2001.
Watertown is a studio album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released in March 1970 through Reprise Records. It is a concept album centered on a man from Watertown, New York. In a series of soliloquies, the nameless narrator tells his heartbreaking story of personal loss: his wife has left him and their two boys for the lure of the big city. Watertown was produced and co-written by Bob Gaudio, one of four members of the rock band the Four Seasons, with Jake Holmes also co-writing the songs. It is the only album where Sinatra ever voiced over pre-recorded orchestral tracks. The album was released to mixed critical reviews and poor sales, with it being Sinatra's only major album release not to chart in the top 100 of the Billboard 200. It has since been reevaluated and many consider it to be among his finest albums.
Ashley Lauren Monroe is an American country music singer-songwriter.
Toni Childs is an American-born, Australian singer-songwriter.
I Got a Lot of Hurtin' Done Today / I've Got My Baby on My Mind is the twenty-fourth solo studio album by American country singer Connie Smith. It was released in January 1975 and contained 11 tracks. It was also considered to be one of her "most commercially-successful" discs of the decade, according to biographer Barry Mazor. Three singles were included on the project. Both "I've Got My Baby on My Mind" and her cover of "Why Don't You Love Me" reached the top 15 of the American country songs chart. "I Got a Lot of Hurtin' Done Today" would chart in the top 30. The album itself reached the American country LP's chart in early 1975. Billboard gave the album a positive review following its release.
The Pinkprint is the third studio album by rapper Nicki Minaj. It was released on December 12, 2014, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records. Minaj co-executive-produced the album alongside Birdman, Lil Wayne and Ronald Williams, with a variety of producers who produced the album's sound. Looking to depart from the dance-pop elements of her second studio album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded (2012), The Pinkprint is a follow-up record influenced by her traditional hip hop beginnings.
"Let Me Love You" is a song by American singer Ariana Grande featuring fellow American singer and rapper Lil Wayne from the former's third studio album Dangerous Woman (2016). It was written by the artists alongside Victoria Monét and producers TB Hits and Steven Franks. The song was released as the second promotional single from the album on April 18, 2016. A slow-paced, sultry R&B track, "Let Me Love You" features delicate piano chords, electro-beats, smooth, deep bass, trap-lite, hip-hop beats, and interspersed vocals. Lyrically, the song talks about getting over an ex and laying on the chest of someone new.
Kin is the fifth studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall. It was released on 9 September 2016 worldwide, following up her previous album, the folk-toned Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon. It was preceded by the Golden State EP, which included one of the songs from the album, "Evil Eye". The album was produced by Tony Hoffer in a studio in Los Angeles.
Treat Myself is the third major-label studio album by the American singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor. Epic Records released it on January 31, 2020, after delaying it for over a year from its originally scheduled release date. Trainor worked with producers including Mike Sabath, Tyler Johnson, Ojivolta, and Andrew Wells. Initially inspired by pop artists and her experiences with panic disorder, Trainor rewrote the album to adapt to changing trends in the music industry and the rising popularity of hip-hop. It features guest appearances by Sabath, Nicki Minaj, Lennon Stella, Sasha Sloan, the Pussycat Dolls, and AJ Mitchell.
"I Shall Be Free" is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. It was recorded on 6 December 1962 at Studio A, Columbia Recording Studios, New York, produced by John Hammond. The song was released as the closing track on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan on 27 May 1963, and has been viewed as a comedic counterpoint to the album's more serious material. Dylan has never performed the song in concert.
Classic is an album of re-recordings by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. It was released digitally through Badams Music Limited on April 1, 2022, and it contains new studio takes of songs from the 1980s and 1990s, including "Summer of '69", "Heaven", "Run to You", and "Please Forgive Me". Classic is the 17th studio release by Adams and the third album he has unveiled in less than one month. On March 4, 2022, he digitally released Pretty Woman – The Musical and on March 11, 2022, he released his 15th official studio album So Happy It Hurts.
Holy Fvck is the eighth studio album by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released on August 19, 2022, through Island Records. Primarily a pop-punk and hard rock record, Lovato conceived it as a return to the early rock-influenced roots from her first two studio albums, Don't Forget (2008) and Here We Go Again (2009), while also containing glam rock and heavy metal elements. Its lyrical themes explore religious undertones.